ST. SIMONS ISLAND — Bethlehem Christian Academy’s comeback win in game two of its GISA Class AAA first-round playoff series at Frederica Academy elicited a reaction worthy of winning the whole series.
The 12-11 comeback victory meant a decisive game three as the No. 4 seed from Region 1-AAA tried to upset the Region 2 champions.
Mustering another comeback proved difficult, though, as Frederica got grand slams from Eric McCall and Harry Veal for a 12-2 win in five innings to win the series.
“The only way to force a game three was to come back,” BCA coach Matt Nicks said. “I think we were down by like (five) runs or something like that. Guys just showed a lot of heart. They put the ball in play and ran the bases aggressively like we’ve asked them all year. I was really proud of the way they played.”
The series got off to a good start for Bethlehem Christian (10-18-1) in game one Friday as it built a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom half of the third inning. Frederica would put up back-to-back 4-spots in the third and fourth innings to grab control of the game and eventually pick up a 10-4 win.
The first game on Saturday, game two of the series, was tied 2-2 heading into the top of the fourth when Frederica, the visiting team for game two, batted around to open up a 7-2 advantage.
BCA answered Frederica’s scoring outburst with one of its own, plating three runs in its half of the fourth. A single by Ryan Whitlow and a walk to Austin Bennett put two on with one out. Leadoff batter Tanner Still would bring home Whitlow with a laser double down the left field line and a single by Patrick Wallace would plate Still and Bennett to cut the Frederica lead to 7-5.
Frederica would get back a run in the top half of the fifth to make it 8-5, but BCA sent 10 batters to the plate in its half of the inning to grab the lead. Andew Klein drew a walk, and Chase Roseland lined a one-out double into center field to put two runners in scoring position.
A balk by Frederica relief pitcher Camron Gardner scored Klein from third, but Gardner got Whitlow to line out to second base for the second out to put FA on the verge of escaping with the lead. A walk to Bennett and a double by Still would tie the game at 8-8. Brad Toxen and Wallace followed with a single and double to give BCA a 10-8 lead.
“The guys bought in, and we made the adjustment we needed to at the plate,” Nicks said. “Frederica is a great team. They’re coached well. We always come down here during springbBreak and play them so we’ve seen them before and knew what they were going to be like.”
Frederica bounced back with three runs in the top of the sixth as the lead see-sawed between the teams. BCA starter Still actually struck out the first two batters of the inning, but Brandt Mitchell reached base after the third strike got away from the catcher.
With runners on first and third and one out, Veal grounded the ball in between the first and second basemen for an infield single, and scoring Mitchell from third. A double by Kicklighter would score two runs and give FA an 11-10 lead.
The lead would shuffle back to BCA in the bottom half of the inning. The bottom of the order came through again as Roseland and Whitlow tallied a double and an infield single to put two runners on. A sacrifice fly by Bennett and an error on a grounder to short by Still would plate two runs and allow BCA to grab the lead 12-11. Brad Toxen would retire the side in the seventh for the save and to force the third.
Frederica, the home team for game three, grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first. Nic Dixon lead off the inning with a double and scored when BCA’s second baseman threw the ball away trying to turn a double play.
Much like game two, BCA answered Frederica’s score with a couple of its own with the bottom half of the order. Bennett would single home Tristen Green and Chase Roseland to put the BCA Knights up 2-1.
The FA Knights, though, would answer in their half of the second. An error and a single would put Frederica’s first two batters on the inning on base. A sacrifice bunt by Kicklighter put the runners in scoring position for Dixon.
To set up a force at each base, BCA intentionally walked Dixon and put the onus on McCall. The game two starter answered with a blast to right field that didn’t land until it cleared the fence for a grand slam.
Frederica added another run to take a 6-2 lead. Dixon, who picked up the loss in game two in relief, started game three and would shut out the BCA Knights the rest of the way.
Frederica added six more runs in the bottom of the fourth, including a second grand slam by Veal that made it 12-2.
With the mercy rule limit reached, Frederica just needed three outs in the top of the fifth, without giving up a run, to reach the second round. Dixon cut down the side, including a strikeout to end it.
“When you lose that first game, everything after that is just a fight,” Nicks said. “That last game, I thought the guys still had energy. We still had life, the ball didn’t fall our way. In a game three setup, you never know what you’re going to get."

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